‘Hello, Dolly!’ with Bette Midler releases front-row seats

THE DEAL The producers of “Hello, Dolly!” have released tickets in the front row of the orchestra for all performances. It’s not certain why those seats were not previously made available for purchase, perhaps because they were considering a lottery for cheap front-row tickets (like many other shows do). Front center orchestra tickets are now going for $189, compared with $59 for the back of the balcony. The production, which marks the Broadway return of Bette Midler and which opens next month, will also star David Hyde Pierce.

THE SHOW “Sunday in the Park With George”

THE DEAL This year’s Tony nominations will not be announced until May, but the Broadway revival of “Sunday in the Park With George” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford will not receive any nominations, even though it received rapturous reviews when it premiered as a concert at City Center in October. As first reported by Broadway.com, the show’s producers have opted out of Tony Awards consideration. In a statement, they noted that “Sunday” is receiving an “extremely limited, special run” and that the current Broadway season is already packed with plenty of other musicals both old and new.

WHAT Public Theater

THE DEAL The Public Theater (in partnership with The New Yorker) will offer “Public Forum: A Well-Ordered Nation,” a monthly series of four evenings where artists, writers and politicians will “consider what it means to be responsible citizens and how culture can respond to politics in the Age of Donald Trump,” according to a news release. It will begin Feb. 20 with playwright Tony Kushner and author Salman Rushdie discussing “The Stuff of Fiction.” All of the events will be livestreamed.

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THE DEAL The Broadway musical “Waitress,” where pieces of pie can be purchased before the show and during intermission, is coming out with a pie recipe book. “Sugar, Butter Flour: The Waitress Pie Cookbook,” to be released May 23, will include instructions for making creations inspired by the plot of “Waitress” such as the “Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie,” the “I Wanna Play Doctor with My Gynecologist Chocolate Mousse Pie” and the “My Husband’s a Jerk Chicken Pot Pie.”

By Matt Windman amNewYork Theater Critic

Matt Windman is the theater critic at amNewYork, which means he sees a show virtually every night of his life. They tend to vary in quality. He is also a lawyer.